This book claims that artificial intelligence (AI) may affect our freedom at work, in our daily life, and in the political sphere. The author provides a philosophical framework to help make sense of and govern the ethical and political impact of AI in these domains. AI presents great opportunities and risks, raising the question of how to reap its potential benefits without endangering basic human and societal values. The author identifies three major risks for human freedom. First, AI offers employers new forms of control of the workforce, opening the door to new forms of domination and exploitation. Second, it may reduce our capacity to remain in control of and responsible for our decisions and actions, thereby affecting our free will and moral responsibility. Third, it may increase the power of governments and tech companies to steer the political debate, thereby affecting the possibility of a free and inclusive political participation. The author claims that it is still possible to promote human freedom in our interactions with AI. This requires designing AI systems that help promote workers’ freedom, strengthen human control and responsibility, and foster a free, active, and inclusive democratic participation.
Human Freedom in the Age of AI will be of interest to scholars and graduate students working on the ethics of technology, philosophy of technology, political philosophy, design, and artificial intelligence.
1. Introduction: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Freedom
Part 1: AI, Freedom, and Design
2. AI, Freedom, and Universal Basic Income
3. The Design Stance in Ethics of Technology
Part 2: Freedom at Work
4. Algorithmic Domination and Workers’ Freedom
5. Against the Exploitation of Internet Users
6. Al and Good Work in a Pluralistic Society
Part 3: Control and Responsibility
7. Four Responsibility Gaps with AI
8. Meaningful Human Control over AI
9. The Social Dimensions of Meaningful Human Control over AI
Part 4: Design for Democracy
10. Design for Democracy: Deliberation and Experimentation
11. Expanding Democracy: Design for Affective Engagement and Anti-power
12. Technology and the Future of Democracy: Postcolonial and More-than-human Design
Biography
Filippo Santoni de Sio is Associate Professor in Ethics and Philosophy of Technology at Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands) and Associate Editor at the Journal of Ethics. He has co-authored more than 60 academic papers, two monographs, and three edited books, including the recent Research Handbook on Meaningful Human Control of Artificial Intelligence Systems (2024).
